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Inauguration of the Bud Spencer Statue in Livorno
Festive unveiling of the Bud Spencer statue in Livorno
02.06.2019 - 18 o'clock - Seafront promenade, Via Italia, Livorno
Maurizio De Angelis Diamante and Cristiana Pedersoli Close-up of the statue
June 2, 2019 was not only a Sunday on the calendar, it was also a day to sunbathe in the Italian port city of Livorno in the truest sense of the word. The sun was shining all day long and one had the feeling that all of Livorno was on the way that day on the beach promenade which was several kilometres long. On the "Via Italia" there was a lot of traffic and the whole street was completely full of parked cars. But we needed a parking space, because we wanted to be present in time for the opening of the Bud Spencer statue today. Luckily we started early and were already at 17:40 at the place communicated by the Italian press. There were also other people there and there were posters for the event, but there was no trace of a statue and everyone was just as helpless as we were. So it was high time to call Matteo. Matteo works as a translator and interpreter for the Spencer/Hill-Festival and also looks after their Italian internet presence and Matteo is also a native of Livorno. So he knows his stuff. And at the time of my call he was already standing at the statue. He said that the place had changed again at short notice and sent me the new location via WhatsApp, Beautiful New World. But then the shock: The new location was still on the "Via Italia", but four kilometers away from the current location! This could not be done on foot in time. So we rushed back to the car and tortured ourselves four kilometers through the traffic on the "Via Italia". With outrageous luck we get a parking lot in the immediate vicinity. Nevertheless it was already 18:15 o'clock when we reached the statue.

It is already revealed at this time. We met Matteo and he told us that nothing else had happened. The mayor had said a few words and then freed the statue from a green foil that was still lying at the feet of the statue. Now hundreds of fans crowded around the statue. In the middle of the crowd was a man whom we now know and appreciate very well and who is one of the guests of honour today, the composer and singer Maurizio De Angelis, one half of the vocal duo "Oliver Onions". It was not possible to get through to Maurizio at first and so we joined the crowd and talked to Matteo, who told us that Maurizio had just arrived and that the other two guests of honour of the evening, Cristiana and Diamante Pedersoli, the two daughters of Bud, had not arrived yet. During the conversation we slowly but surely got closer and closer to the statue and a few minutes later we finally welcomed Maurizio. Then suddenly a Ford Escort MK 1 drove through the crowds. The car was modeled after Bud Spencer's car in Watch out, we are mad and brought the two Pedersoli daughters to the statue. The crowd at the statue increased once more, but despite the narrowness the people remained civilized and thanks to Maurizio's cooperation we even managed to take a picture of us with the statue and the three guests of honour. Afterwards, we freed ourselves from the crowd and watched the hustle and bustle from a distance. In the course of the next hour the rush became less and we had the opportunity to talk to Maurizio, Cristiana and Diamante in peace. With Maurizio we joked about when we should have a beer together. He was very keen, but his schedule was tight and he had to leave at 9 pm, as he had to go to Verona to prepare a concert there. After that we enjoyed the atmosphere a little bit, chatted again with the artist Alberto Baldisserotto, who was also present today and wanted to say goodbye at 8:15 pm to the guests of honour, when suddenly it was said that we are all going to have something to eat together.

Of course we agreed to this with pleasure and together with Matteo we made our way to the agreed restaurant in the district "Old Venice" (Antica Venezia). Matteo's local knowledge proved to be very helpful. In the restaurant we experienced a very relaxed evening with Cristiana, Diamante, Maurizio, Andrea and other nice guests of the Italian De Angelis fan club. The beer together with Maurizio suddenly proved to be very real, only its original schedule didn't work anymore. But it didn't seem as if anyone was worried about it. The Italian way of life and hospitality had tricked the diary and thus provided us with a great evening and a worthy conclusion to our trip to Italy.

Grazie!

About the statue:
The statue is based on the size of Bud Spencer. It was created by the artist Fabrizio Galli, who comes from Livorno and has already made several similar glass fibre statues for the annual carnival. Also the Bud-Spencer statue is made of glass fibre. Bud Spencer is shown as a sailor in his role from They called him Bulldozer. The pose is borrowed exactly from the film, only Bud looks out at the sea in the film, but the statue stands with his back to the sea. Lying on the floor next to the statue, a sports bag with an American football helmet and two boxing gloves is modelled. The gloves are an allusion to the movie Bomber, next to They called him Bulldozer the second movie that Bud Spencer shot in Livorno and the surrounding area.

UPDATE:
On 20 October 2019 the statue in Livorno was removed again! Different sources report about different reasons. The salt water at the promenade is said to have damaged the statue and vandalism in general was mentioned as the reason why the statue has to be restored suddenly. But we were only five days before at the statue (Pictures here) and it was not damaged by salt water. Of course vandalism would still be a reason, but there are pictures of the transport of the statue and vandalism wasn't visible on them either. So the reason for the removal is unclear. What is certain, however, is that it is no longer there and that it is still unknown when and where it will be set up again.
Impressions of the revelation
The statue
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